Medicinal and aromatic plants – industrial profiles

Section 6: 
Chaetostachys
(Benth.) Benth.
Herbaceous plants with green fleshy stems, distinctly rectangular with long internodes. Leaves
numerous, usually large 7–10 cm and distinctly bipinnatisect. Flower stalks and spikes often
branched. The single-flowered cymes are arranged spirally on the axis. Bracts ovate spinescent
with parallel-veins. Calyx 15-nerved, the lobes 
 
subequal, slightly bilabiatae. Corolla twice
the length of the calyx, lobes small, the lower middle lobe 
c
. 2
the size of the lateral
lobes. Nutlets elliptic, black to dark brown in colour. Lateral scar present, over 0.75
length of
nutlet.
This section comprises the two native Indian species. It is characterised by their herbaceous
nature, the large deeply bipinnatisect leaves and the nutlets which bear a lateral scar usually
0.75
length of the nutlet. The corolla differs from other species in the lower median corolla
lobe which is distinctly larger than the lateral lobes. The single-flowered cymes arranged 
spirally, the spinescent bracts and the subequal corolla lobes suggests its closest affinities are
with section 
Subnudae
. Not in general cultivation apart from a few specialist collections, tender
and difficult to overwinter.